There was an atmosphere of celebration outside Washington’s Central Detention Facility jail late Monday night.
Just hours after taking the oath of office, US President Donald Trump pardoned nearly 1,500 people who took part in the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, during which Trump supporters sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Had tried.
Many of them were held at the Central Detention Facility in Southeast Washington. Despite the bitter cold, his supporters gathered outside the building, waiting to hear what he told VOA and hoping for his speedy release. At the time of publication, that release had not yet occurred.
There was considerable police presence outside the jail throughout the night. So, too, was the media presence. And even though at one point supporters briefly approached the prison entrance but were stopped by police, he still told VOA the gathering was joyful and patriotic.
Ben Pollock, waving an American flag, told VOA that two of his children – Olivia and Jonathan – were jailed for their part in the attack. He said that he himself was present that day, but he did not enter the Capitol building.
Pollock, of Florida, said he was “happy, praise God” that his children would soon be released. “It has been such a spiritual journey.”
According to media reports, former fugitives Olivia and Jonathan Pollock have been charged with assaulting, resisting or obstructing certain officers, as well as theft of government property. The latter is accused of grabbing one officer by the waist and dragging the officer down the stairs and punching another officer in the face.
His father cried while talking about January 6 – not because he regretted the day he didn’t have, but because he said he felt very deeply that those who participated in the attack should go to jail. Had gone, he was wrongly prosecuted.
“This has broken my heart for four years. “I have cried and cried for these families so much,” Pollock said. “Today is the day of their freedom.”
Pollock and others who spoke to VOA said they feel like Trump’s executive order means he’s finally getting confirmation set for Jan. 6.
For him, Trump’s pardon confirmed his belief that the 2020 election was rigged, he told VOA. He said it also represents fulfillment of a promise Trump made during his campaign to prosecute those who participated in the attack.
Multiple reports and investigations have shown that the 2020 election was not stolen. Election officials have confirmed that the election was secure, and Trump and his allies have failed to present any evidence to support allegations of fraud.
Despite evidence that the election was not stolen, several people outside the prison told VOA that Trump’s pardon strengthened their belief that it had indeed happened.
“The election was stolen. We all see it. The whole world saw it,” Stephanie Liu of New York told VOA.
Liu, who was at the Capitol on Jan. 6, said she has been visiting jailed Jan. 6 rioters every month for the past two and a half years. “There should be no political prisoners in this country,” said Liu, who is originally from China.
US Capital’s Helena Gibson made a similar point: “It’s been four years since January 6th these political hostages.”
That language echoes Trump’s, who called those who attacked the Capitol “hostages” and “disloyal patriots.”
A day after the attack, Trump said that “those who broke the law” during the riot “will have to pay.” But defending him became a key component of his 2024 presidential campaign.
Tom Jeffries of Virginia said he was “somewhat disappointed” that Trump did not mention the January 6 defendants during his inaugural address.
“But knowing him, I knew he hadn’t forgotten about it. “He was waiting for the right time to do it,” Jeffries told VOA. “That was my hope, and God fulfilled my wish.”
Trump’s decision to pardon those who took part in the attack was sharply condemned by Democratic lawmakers such as Senator Chris Murphy.
By pardoning the rioters, “Trump has transformed American democracy,” Murphy said in a post on X. “Political violence is now mainstream.”
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer also said those who invaded the Capitol should not have been pardoned.
“Trump is ushering in a golden age for those who break laws and seek to overthrow the government,” Schumer said in a statement.
